On the afternoon of February 14th, 2018, a mass shooting occurred at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. 17 were killed and 14 more were injured, being taken to hospitals, causing this to replace the 1999 events at Columbine High School as the deadliest high school shooting in America. Nikolas Cruz, a 19 year old who had been expelled from the Parkland high school, was the one to open fire.

This is not the first school shooting that occurred in 2018, making this incident harrowing, in terms of circumstance and statistic. Schools should be a place of safety, which makes instances like these so terrifying.

In order to practice safety and preparation, Franklin High School will have a lockdown drill next week. The drills FHS practice are a blend of lockdown in place drills and active live shooter drills. In a lockdown drill, measures taken include: turning the lights off, locking the door, sitting in a corner away from the windows, and seeing an exit, and taking it immediately. In an active live shooter drill, measures taken include: barricading the door, seeing an exit and taking it immediately, and fighting back, throwing, trying to be as much of a disruption as possible.

“We are always examining our drills and our safety,” Mr. Peri stated.

On the Friday before February break, Mr. Peri came on the loudspeaker with a message: “If you see something, say something.” Speaking more to this, there really is no profile for a school shooter, but there are some commonalities. “One of the commonalities is they’ve posted, they’ve said things, they’ve shared things. There are red flags and warning things leading up to.”

As students with access to social media, there are things being posted everyday, and all it takes is one person to bring something up that’s troubling to school administration or to a teacher. Students are the ones to see these red flags or warning signs before any adult does.

“We need to lean on each other for help and support. We need to take care of each other,” Mr. Peri advised.

Additionally, on March 14th at 10:00am for 17 minutes, there will be an option to participate in a national school walk out. Mr. Peri assured, “There will be no consequences. There will be no discipline for anyone who chooses to walk out.” For some, this walk-out serves to advocate for stricter gun-control laws and more mental health resources, but it also represents 17 minutes of respect for those who died in Parkland, Florida.

This walk out was planned by the Women’s March’s Youth EMPOWER group. The group’s website states, “Students and staff have the right to learn and teach in an environment free from fear of being gunned down in their classrooms or on their way home from school. Parents have the right to send their kids to school in the mornings and see them home alive at the end of the day. We all have the right to live free from fear and violence in our community.”

If you would like more information about this walk-out, the link is here.

Those who choose not to participate in the walk out will head to the gym, where staff members will be, for safety and support.

The events that occurred in Parkland are tragic to say the least, but the amount of students showing their support for the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School is incredible. Whatever your political views may be, our generation is going to change the world for the better, and that is something to be proud of.